British painkiller epidemic

Nearly two in five (37%) people in the UK take painkillers to feel well enough to work. And one-third of people using medication worry about becoming dependent on drugs in order to manage their lives.

A survey of 3,100 people from Nuffield Health, the UK’s largest healthcare charity, found that people are reaching for painkillers as a cheap and easy way to treat symptoms, as opposed to addressing underlying causes.
Over half (54%) of those surveyed had used painkillers to manage pain or injuries over the previous year.

Nearly 15% exceed the recommended safe dose and 23% take between one and five painkillers each day. A quarter of people had been taking painkillers for over five years and 38% of this group were concerned about dependency.

More than one-third of painkiller users take habit-forming products such as Tramadol and codeine, and 7% of painkiller users opt for opiates and pethidine.

“A lack of knowledge, or fear of treatment, can lead patients into long term use of painkillers, often without a clear diagnosis by a specialist,” explains Dr Manoj Krishna, Consultant Spinal Surgeon at Nuffield Heath Tees Hospital.
Long-term use of painkillers can be a “very bleak existence with patients becoming depressed, losing their jobs, and often becoming dependent on the drugs.”

Awareness should be raised of the side-effects of taking painkillers (which can include sickness, drowsiness, stomach ulcers, kidney problems, heart disease and liver disease).
Cabella Lowe, head of physiotherapy services at Nuffield Health recommends that people could benefit from visiting a physiotherapist to treat pain.
“Worries about dependency are staggeringly high and match an increasing trend for people to use painkillers as a solution,” she says. “Any concerns people have about their reliance on painkillers should be addressed urgently with a GP. The most important action is to seek expert advice quickly as research shows that early intervention is key to getting rid of pain.”